Underwater (2020)
In the near future, Kepler 822, a research and drilling facility located at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, suffers a sudden and catastrophic structural failure. There are only six survivors. Mechanical engineer Norah Price (Kristen Stewart), Captain Lucien (Vincent Cassel), biologist Emily Haversham (Jessica Henwick), engineer Liam Smith (John Gallagher Jr.) and crew members Rodrigo (Mamoudou Athie) and Paul (T.J. Miller). As all the functional escape pods have been used and they are unable to contact the surface, the Captain suggests using pressurized suits to walk one mile across the ocean floor to the Roebuck 641 drill installation. There they will find more escape pods. However, it soon becomes apparent that the disaster was not caused by an undersea earthquake and that they are not alone as they make their journey.
In the near future, Kepler 822, a research and drilling facility located at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, suffers a sudden and catastrophic structural failure. There are only six survivors. Mechanical engineer Norah Price (Kristen Stewart), Captain Lucien (Vincent Cassel), biologist Emily Haversham (Jessica Henwick), engineer Liam Smith (John Gallagher Jr.) and crew members Rodrigo (Mamoudou Athie) and Paul (T.J. Miller). As all the functional escape pods have been used and they are unable to contact the surface, the Captain suggests using pressurized suits to walk one mile across the ocean floor to the Roebuck 641 drill installation. There they will find more escape pods. However, it soon becomes apparent that the disaster was not caused by an undersea earthquake and that they are not alone as they make their journey.
Underwater starts with all the hallmarks of a film that is very derivative of Alien. The technology and immediate environment all have an industrial aesthetic that is worn and feels used. The crew is made up of “working men” rather than clean cut academics and the corporation that owns and runs the facility is simply referenced by branding on bulkheads or on monitor lockscreens. The screenplay by Brian Duffield (No One Will Save You) and Adam Cozad is lean and moves quickly but there’s sufficient dialogue to get the measure of each character. The threat comes quickly during the film’s concise 95 minute running time and it is here that Underwater diverges from similar films. DeepStar Six featured a prehistoric Eurypterid and Leviathan had monsters caused by mutagens containing piscine DNA. Underwater has a distinctly Lovecraftian nemesis.
Director William Eubank maintains a tense and claustrophobic atmosphere. Due to the seven mile depth, there is no sunlight and the ocean floor is illuminated by the lights on the crew’s environment suits and from LEDs on equipment. Hence, for the first two acts the aquatic menace is seen only fleetingly and the shocks come mainly from jump scares. The death scenes are hectically edited and you certainly get the impression that something unpleasant has happened but you cannot see the detail. Although initially frustrating this becomes the film’s greatest strength as it becomes clear this is not just a case of an apex predator. The crew do a little theorising about what is happening around them but it is left vague and there are no convenient answers. The climax and final reveal work better as a result of this approach.
Underwater is an effective genre outing. It isn’t a masterpiece and certainly isn’t original. It takes some standard tropes from “creature features” and horror films and it tries its best to do something a little different with them. The $60 million budget covers a lot of ground, with the sets, production design and VFXs looking polished and plausible. The cast is competent and the characters likeable. Marco Beltrami’s score at times has shades of vintage John Carpenter and Alan Howarth. But it is the film’s final act that is responsible for making Underwater better than average. Casual viewers may not necessarily get the inference but those who are aware of the concept of cosmic horror should enjoy the eldritch payoff. Underwater is a well crafted rollercoaster ride, that doesn’t out stay its welcome and should be judged as such.
